How the garden does grow

It really is noce seeing how well my flowers are doing in the front garden. There is a surprise everyday to be found from the bulb I planted especially the red/violet flower. Too bad I didn't keep the bulb information so I would know what it is.

 

 

 

 

I've been absent from my blog for several days because I don't seem to find the time to do it since I have to put myself in traction for an hour three times a day for a cervical disc problem that made itself known when my little finger and half my ring finger on my left hand began to tingle most unpleasantly especially when I touched something.
Although it is still early in my six week of treatment I have noticed some improvement.Before I sat down to blog I put a piece of fabric out in the sun to dry and sun print with a variety of different fabric paints I have had for some time and not put to use other than painting highlight on flowers in my quilts. I am looking for alternated methods of doing background and thought this would be a good start. Will check the results after my traction time is over. Maybe I will photograph the result and report tomorrow.

Bloom by bloom comes the summer, SOLD

The dyes I ordered from ProChem came today.
The thermofax I brought on E-bay came today.
And a couple who had seen this quilt at my solo exhibit in Tennessee last year drove all the way from Little Rock, AR and brought this quilt.
It's been a good day!!!

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

Fragmented, fractured or what ever you would

call a day that consisted of a little of this and a little of that.
The morning began with me waiting for the plumber to see why Lyn's bathroom which is at the end of the water line hasn't enough pressure (for her) if the water is turned on somewhere in the house before it gets to her shower. Mind you she does not get scolded if someone flushes the toilet, it just her two shower heads and four body jets slow. WOOOOO!!! Well any way he came and turned the pressure up and basically said her loss of pressure is due to where her bathroom is located in the house.
The other wait for was the electrician. All the wall plugs in the garage decided they didn't want to work, One of Lyn's fluorescent fixtures her closet long since stopped working and the switch in the laundry room popped every time it was turned on or off. Did not know if this was really a problem but since he was here had him look at it. When the electrician left to get a bolster and bulb for the fixture and make another call because they didn't know if I wanted the repairs that day when I made the appointment or just wanted an estimate. DUH!!!, life is too short. Lets get it done is my thought. But anyway. They left and I left to go get fertilizer for the front garden. I should have gone to Walmart instead of the garden center. I am never tempted by Walmart plants but the garden center. Well. Home I came with a tray of plants and some grass seed to reseed some of the places in the front lawn.
Then the electrician came back and made the repairs. While waiting for that to be completed I ordered supplies, PFD from Robert Kaufman and Dyes from Prochem and containers to dye in. I ordered a gram scale the other day. An for those of you who are concerned about my ice cream consumption, you will be glad to know I found a source for the bucket with handles and lids like the one my store brand ice cream comes in and that was good. Now I don't have to eat gallons of ice cream in order to increase the number of dye containers I need to do some serious week long dying.
I took John the grandson to a friends where he was going to spend the night then I went to get some urea for my dyeing since I love the Carol Souderlund method and while on that side of town and with a 40% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket, I stopped at Joann Fabric for another cutting table. Now I have two and that will make squaring some of my larger pieces a whole lot easier. No more getting down on the floor. Boy do I miss the set-up Marti and I had in her basement. An 8 feet by 8 feet raised surface covered with two 4 x 8 cutting mats.
I put the tray of plants in the ground, did some weeding and squared-up my latest piece but couldn't decide to face it or bind it. I fell into bed.

quilt that sold

 

Was out and about today

first to the doctor's office to get some routine blood work done. Then to the Post office box. Nothing exciting there this time, just junk. Since I was in the area I stopped to pick up my quilts at the gallery since my month of being featured there was over and they were returning the extra pieces I took to have on display for that time and what a pleasant surprise. They were keeping on of them and they had sold one. Wow. I had to tell someone I was so happy, so I stopped at my daughters office and grinned while I told her the news. Yeah!!!
After two plus weeks of the yard being under cover, we still have no grass so the Landscaper was here early this morning and said he would hydro seed next after re tilling and incorporating more top soil, but first he was going to de-weed since we grew a bumper crop of those instead of grass. Hydro seed, hummmmm. Maybe, just maybe we will have grass to walk on and roll around in by Independence Day, but I am not holding my breath.
Used my 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby while out and got Wonder Under and then made a trip to the quilt store to get stabilizer.

A day of came and went

is best how I can describe yesterday. I spent it trying to not be sad, for it was my late husband's birthday. Not that we ever did anything special on birthdays; not his or mine or the children except to acknowledge them with a verbal greeting and a hug. Not anyone of my kids or my husband was especially fond of cake. Ice cream yes, cake no. So there were no candles lit to be blown out. And birthday parties, ,forget about them. Besides, it was always my believe that while a person is born on a certain date, that date it is not that person's day to celebrate but rather it should be reserved to acknowledge the person who gave birth to them. In my case I should have had celebrations on four days each year and my dear mother nine, bless her heart.
Well at any rate despite my efforts not to be sad yesterday I was and there were moments of sniffles and real tears at times when I did keep my mind and body other wise directed.

A check from my latest sale came in the mail and went to the bank.
I went to the post office and came away with a book from a friend.
I went to Starbuck and came out with a venti iced coffee that last all day if you keep adding ice to the cup which I did.
I began to read the book from Karoda last night before I turned out the lights for the night. Karoda, I think I am going to like it and I loved the card that came with it. Thanks.

I went to the outdoor nursery area at HyVee and came away with two new plants. A "Bleeding Heart" in retrospect how appropriate for the day and a yellow cone flower that I planted in the front garden.
I went to the quilt store and came away with some purchases but not the thread I went there to buy. Sadly they do not carry a wide selection of Superior threads so I will have to get it elsewhere, most likely online.
I went to the movies to see "Mr. Brooks" and came away satisfied that I had seen a movie worth the money I'd spent and the time. A very different Kevin Cosner, at least the producers were realist and gave him an age appropriate wife, unlike the young women that seem to be the movie wives or love interest of the likes of Harrison Ford, Eastwood and Connery. etc.
I went to D. Rowes a sports bar with the best food on our side of town on the way home from the movies and came out with dinner so I did not have to cook for me and John the grand son, Lyn, the daughter is in Kansas City, MO on business until Friday.
My color correct bulbs came by UPS yesterday and went into the fixtures I've placed in the studio area and they immediate came out of the fixtures and went back into their boxes. The difference in the light correction was not worth the heat they put out. So I slept on what to do with them. Return them or keep them for another use. This morning I decided to put the bulb in the garage ceiling fixtures. What a difference one made on my side of the garage as far as visibility. It will help greatly when working at the table I use to dye. I put one of the remaining four bulbs on Lyn's side of the garage which made the garage as a whole so much more user friendly. I am going to keep the other two for when I dye fabric, I'll move my studio fixture one or two of them to the garage and change out the bulbs. By doing that I will not have to rely on raising the garage doors for better lighting which is a good thing if I want to dye after sunset or in the winter.
I'm off to the studio to machine quilt some more today. I want to stay on target for getting the quilts I need for this time next year done and avoid a crunch time crises.

When I am up and rolling

why isn't the rest of the world. By that I mean the quilt stores. The sun was up at 6AM annoyingly. By 7 I gave up and got up. I read my e-mail and some favorite blogs. Got dressed, ate breakfast, answered a phone call from the gallery. Now they are early birds. They want to keep several pieces that were due to come home today because they had some clients in on Sunday who want to sleep on their decision to purchase. Of course I said yes. And they want another floral piece in the 45" range to replace the one sold last month. Creating one just got moved up on my to do list ahead of # 2 in the 30 or so I need for my solo show next year.
I had an eye appointment today at 11:00 but decided to call my insurance carrier to see what my out of pocket expenses would be since I was using an out of network provider. What they said stopped me and I hurriedly canceled the appointment. My out of pocket was going to be way more than I want to spend especially when if I used an in network provider there is no out of pocket.
I scratched the eye appointment off my to-do list for today which included a trip to the galley to pick up my work, but that got cancelled too. Then I called the quilt store since I was ready to leave the house only to discover the quilt stores do not open until 10:AM. 10 when the sun is up at 6 they don't open until 10! So I changed out of my going out of the house clothes. Cancel that for now. So here I sit blogging while my lights in the studio come to full glow. If any of you have those curly fluorescent you know they come on dim and brighten over a 5 minute time period until they are at full brightness.
Between cancelling the eye appointment and changing clothes I got a call from my friend Valerie in Louisville. She was interested in the lights I am using in my studio space since she is a night creator too. Yes I still Love how lighted my space is I told her and she is planning a trip to Lowe's. She too has other lights that are just not doing the trick for her.
By the way if any of you are in the Henderson Kentucky area from June 10 to August 5 stop in at the OVAL gallery in the main Library. Valerie White and I have a joint exhibit of work there.
I know my light are bright enough now so off I go to quilt my latest piece. Will let you have a look see when I am done.

Good things

Sonia came to visit yesterday, which was Friday. Some times I think she come more to see my sewing machine more so then to see me, but I'm not complaining. When I saw her coming up the walkway to the house it still didn't dawn on me that it was Friday. There I was working away, still in my pj's yesterday thinking for some reason that it was only Thursday. Good think she comes on Fridays. I do need reality checks every now and then.

 

 

 

 

My garden at the fron of the house is doing just great. I love petunias and the ones in the hanging basket a gift from the Grand boys are blooming like crazy and so is my hibiscus bush, a gift from the 54/40 Quilt Guild when I taught for them in April. as you can see the backyard looks like it snowed in June, No, its the landscape cover that is suppose to hold the seeds to the ground, keep the birds from eating them. aA green house effect the landscaper said. If course you can not tell if the grass is grwing under this white cover. Will know in anther week if all will be green.

Got two more clamp on light fixtures and bulbs for the studio space and I am in heaven. What a difference. Two was good, four are fantastic. I was in the tropics inside while the outside the sky was gloomy and rainy. With all the lights on my energy level picked up immediately. I did order full spectrum bulb for the fixtures at the suggestion of a friend and they should arrive next week. I dare not think of how much more wonderful the lighting in my space will be, I just might drool swoon and faint from sheer JOY.